Product Description

Compared with conventional rigid kayaks, foldables are more stable and forgiving, more seaworthy and more easily repaired and modified. They have proven their worth in difficult, rugged service, carrying ashore commandos, making at least two transatlantic crossings, voyaging the length of the Nile, rounding Cape Horn and touring the South Pacific. In addition they are the only seaworthy boat you can store in a corner of a small cupboard and carry to bay or lake on a bicycle, the subway or an airline. This book is a complete guide to the only seagoing boat that qualifies as hand luggage.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #686399 in Books
• Published on: 1994-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 162 pages

From the Back Cover

"An encyclopedia of invaluable knowledge." Canoe & Kayak

Folding kayaks are the only seaworthy boats you can store in the corner of a small closet and carry to the bay, lake, river, or ocean of your choice. Ralph Díaz, editor and publisher of the Folding Kayaker newsletter for more than ten years, has used and worked on nearly all of the folding kayak models available and knows all the ins and outs of choosing, assembling, paddling, traveling, modifying, and maintaining them.

The Complete Folding Kayaker, the first guide to choosing, using, and enjoying this most liberating of personal watercraft, is now updated with more boat reviews, more modification tips from readers of Folding Kayaker, and a new chapter on assembly. So pack your kayak for your next adventure on the water!

"Indispensable." Atlantic Coastal Kayaker

"Ralph has written, quite literally, the folding kayaker's bible." Robert Huszar, ANorAK

"An essential resource for anyone interested in buying a foldable." Outdoor Traveler

"This book is the one to get if you want to find out about folding kayaks." Cape Codder

About the Author
Ralph Diaz has been the leading authority on foldable kayaks for decades and is publisher of the bimonthly newsletter Folding Kayaker. In addition to writing the book Complete Folding Kayaker he has contributed articles to the periodicals Sea Kayaker, Canoe, and New York Sports. "Ralph Diaz is still the best connected person in the industry, and the best source of information on folding boats." Michael Edelman An Introduction and Guide to the World of Folding Kayaks (2001)

Customer Reviews

A must-have book for all foldable kayakers.
Ralph has written a concise handbook which is really essential for all folding kayakers. He covers a short history of foldables, how to select a foldable, details of the major (4) manufacturer's products and how-tos in paddling, traveling, rescue and reboard after the rare capsize. His style is friendly, compentent, and authorative. You will find yourself reading and re-reading this book. The only problem is he has not issued an update with the latest since 1994. You will still learn a ton! I will be surprised if you don't subscribe to his bi-monthly newsletter. Ralph writes like he has been there and he has. I am afraid I am going to have to get a second book since my copy is getting worn out from re-reads. You cannot go wrong unless you don't get this book.

Reintroduces the elemenatry concept of kayaking!
I live in Japan, where space is at a premium, but I also love kayaking. All the hardshell kayaks I looked at were reasonably priced but at lenghts of 17 feet or more I could hardly keep them in the tatami rooms of my house. Ralph Diaz reminded me that a folding kayak was the practical and intelligent answer to my needs. So today, I own a Klepper double which collapses into two canvas bags, which, when I'm not exploring the coastline of Japan, or other distant places, stays in a closet in my office. This book furthermore covers every aspect of the seemingly endless features and benefits of folding kayaks, and reviews all the major manufacturers products as well. The well-written introduction by Paul Theroux alone is worth the price of this little gem ("Paddling in Hawaii in the winter, it is not unusual to see whales, But only the paddler is able to leap into the water and hear the whales singing..."). Highly recomeneded reading for anyone seriously contemplating seakayaking anywhere in the world.

The Bible for folding kayak owners
The author, Ralph Diaz, has for a number of years published a slim but tremendously valuable newletter for folding kayak enthusiasts, and this book is essentially the information collected by Ralph and his readers over the years, updated, corrected and expanded, together with new information collected for the book. The result is a unique and absolutely invaluable reference volume for owners (and prospective owners) of folding kayaks. Ralph is no dillitante how-to author; he's a fanatic evangelical for folders, knows everyone in the business, and has helped countless people to select the kayak that's best for them. He also knows, and is know by, everyone in the folding kayak business. Ralph takes you on a tour of the history of the folding kayak, the benifits and drawbacks of folders, a tour of the various manufacturers and models available from each, and walks you through basic kayak technique. He tells you about modifications that owners have made and tested, and where to get parts and repairs for out of production boats. I have been enamored of folders since I saw my first one on Isle Royale back in 1968. As we talked, a young fellow not much older than I assembled a boat from two small suitcases that was far more seaworthy than the heavy aluminum canoes my compatriots and I were paddling. As a 14 year old I didn't have the wherewithall to buy one, and put the notion aside for a number of years. Last year, with Ralph's help, I found the folder of my dreams, a Folboat Greenland II. If you're contemplating purchase of a non-whitewater kayak, you must read this book- even if you hadn't been contemplating a folding boat.